ps (added after the post was published): I just found out that Dinesh is also a member of Badaga.Org so please inform me if you would like me to delate this post. I do not want to invade in your privacy and personal life.
bjaypee@gmail.com

Some families of Bunts(Aishwarya Rai Biography) in the west coast of India share a genetic trait called Thalassaemia gene. This, in clinical terms, is an inherited condition relating to the red blood cells and, in this sense, it is similar to the sickle cell gene.

Medical research has shown that the sickle cell gene is found in small pockets in the regions of the west coast of India. According to a study, the sickle cell gene is common among descendents of the people of the Mediterranean rim, the upper Africa and the Greek islands of the Aegean Sea. The study postulates that the gene was perpetuated by those who came down to the western and central parts of India as âpraetorian guardsâ for the Indian princes during the medieval period. âPraetorianâ is a term used for ancient Roman magistrates below the rank of consul.

The study points out that a single mutation (of sickle cell gene) occurred in neolithic times (3000 to 6000 generations ago) in the then fertile Arabian peninsula. The changing climatic conditions over the millennia resulted in the conversion of the region into a vast desert. This caused people of the peninsula to migrate to eastern Saudi Arabia and to equatorial Africa and to the Indian west coast. This hypothesis is based on the distribution of agricultural practices and other anthropological evidences.

The sickle cell or the Thalassaemia gene is said to be prevalent among communities that supported intra-family marriages. Intra-family marriages were common among ancient matrilineal societies of the landed gentry, like the Spartans in mainland Greece. Men were mostly out on the battlegrounds while women managed the lands with the help of slave labour in Sparta. Women inherited the lands from their mothers. Marriages within the family was an economic necessity for them in order to keep the lands within the family.

A parallel situation is found among the Bunts of the Indian west coast. For similar reasons as the Spartans, intra family marriages were the order of the day for the Bunts through the ages until the first half of the twentieth century. This could explain the prevalence of the sickle cell gene among Buntscitation needed. The incidence of the sickle cell gene among certain families of Bunts is, therefore, a genetic trait inherited from their Mediterranean ancestorscitation needed.

Mitochondrial DNA is maternally inherited and it enables matrilineal lines of individuals to be traced through genetic analysis. (Genetic researchers refer to the Mitochondrial Eve who lived in East Africa about 150,000 years ago as the most recent common ancestor of all living humans.) If the Bunts could associate themselves with the present genographic project conducted jointly by the National Geographic Society and IBM in the U. S. A., it would help us in understanding the evolutionary and migratory history of the Bunt community as a whole. The researchers of the genographic project ask the respondents to have a mouth swab with a special cheek scraper kit provided to them. The sample is then processed and analysed in a laboratory in America. It can help fix the deep ancestry of the respondents by tracing the path oneâs ancestors travelled over history. The respondents are identified by specific groups as defined by a series of genetic markers that are shared by others who carry the same random mutations.
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Did Aishwarya-Rai married out of a Bunt family because of sickle cell ? We may never know. So even before one starts loving some guy or girl they have to get checked for genetic trait. So many others communities also have it.

gopenathFrequent poster

Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 573

Posted:
Fri Jan 18, 2008 1:16 am

Hai,
Its interesting about Thalassemia and sickle cell anemia. Most of the tribal community in Nilgiris especially the Irular and kurumbas have the Sickle Cell Anemia and some of them have Beta Thalasemmia. It is believed that some of the people from our community also had Sickle Cell Anemia. I do not know the present status.

Hi,
Interesting Mr Nandhi & Mr Gopenath made comments about Sickle Cell and Thalassemia.
Actually they are a group of conditions called haemoglobinopathies which are genetic in origin. Sickle, thalassemia and G6PD deficiency are the more common ones. These are mainly prevalent in the meditteranean people. Sickle is also found in Africans and some Indians. Sickle has a trait form (do not manifesty the disease) and full blown disease form. Thalassemia also has alfa & beta forms which can have variety of presentations from mild to severe disorders. G6PD defiency also has a variable presentations is being studied more and being identified in India.
Now the interesting bit. There is a medical explanation (? spin) to its prevalence in the meditterenean, African & Indian regions. Sickle trait (not disease), Alfa thalassemia(not beta) and G6PD CONFER IMMUNITY against malaria.
Now the worrying bit. Where do you think is the highest incidence of Sickle cell in India? There is evidence coming out that it is in Nilgiris amongst us 'the badagas'. Alfa thalassemia and G6PD (lots of research in India is currently being done) is being found in badagas as well. ( this is absolutely true. I cannot give names of affected people due to obvious reasons) The exact incidence is not yet known as nobody has looked deeply into it in badagas. Badaga people living abroad can get the relevant diagnostic tests done and for others in India, tests may be available in cities.
I absolutely recommend everybody to have a test as there are medical implications like patients with sickle cell need special anaesthetic monitoring during operations and also during pregnancy this may be a cause for anaemia. Alfa thalasemia can also cause similar anemia problems. In G6PD certain medications and infections can trigger haemolysis which leads sudden destruction of blood cells causing massive anaemia within hours leading to death if not recognised.
If identified early in an individual premarital counselling can be done.

Now the exciting bit. Why on earth would badaga people living in Nilgiris need protection from malaria? Remember incidence of malaria is very negligible in the mountains. So most likely our forefathers have travelled from elsewhere. As Mr Nandhi points out in his previous posts on genetic and mitochondrial tests, our ancestors seem to be more from the central asian plains migrating everywhere. As more research is being done into these haemoglobinopathies, exact incidence and prevalence in India will be ascertained. This may also throw light on migration patterns in India.

More research is needed in the Nilgiris about the prevalence and management of these conditions. If nothing is done our future children may end up with all kinds of problems.

gopenathFrequent poster

Joined: 12 Feb 2007
Posts: 573

Posted:
Sat Feb 09, 2008 4:16 pm

Mr.Rajkumar,
Thanks for sharing valuable details about the diseases. The simple fact why nilgiris is not prone to malaria is due to the absence of mosquitos. We are lucky enough. I think malaria has nothing to do with Genetics. And regarding the Sickle Cell Anemia, actually the Red Blood cells change its configuration to a sickle shape due to the devoid of enough oxygen. These sickle shaped cells go and get accumulated in the joints especially in the elbows and knee joints, there by causing severe pains in the joints and in the later periods cause difficult in breathing.
In Nilgiris, we do have a NGO named Nilgiri Adivasi Welfare Association ( NAWA) in Kotagiri. They do a verysimple laboratory test to diagnose the presence of Sickle Cell Anemia. As this centre is dealing mainly with thr tribal communities, we cannot have any access here. But Any of our people who may own a medical lab could adopt the procedure from this centre and could carry out the diagnosis in our hatties with the help of any Service Organisation. This test is very simple and reliable. Hope we could do something.

Hello Mr Gopenath,
There is lot of medical evidence which shows how the haemoglobinopathies provide defence against Malarial parasite. please visit [url]
http://sickle.bwh.harvard.edu/malaria_sickle.html
[/url] for evidence. Google this topic and you will find lots of evidence. One of the possible mechanisms is increased oxygen consumption by the parasite in the RBC causing reduced oxygen for the cell which then gets destroyed due to the sickle nature.

Yes, it is obvious there are no mosquitoes in Nilgiris, but why are we carrying genes that protect us against malaria (by way of sickle & other conditions) when there is no need for it in the Nilgiris? This is precisely my question.

One of the possible explanation is our great great forefathers have migrated from lands elsewhere where such protection was deemed neccessary by nature.

Thanks

Dr Krishnan Rajkumar
Plymouth, United Kingdom

l_santhoshFrequent poster

Joined: 16 Oct 2002
Posts: 143

Posted:
Thu Apr 10, 2008 12:36 am

Very interesting technical discussion even though it may be far removed from the topic of 'Badaga Matrimony ad'.
Nevertheless, your discussions are informative.
You've(Gopenath) said that sickle cells are formed as a consequence of the lack of oxygen. Malarial parasites thrive(possibly survive on good supplies of oxygen).
So it sounds logical that where sickle cells are prevalent, malarial parasites can't survive or remain dormant.

Experts believe that these traits/ diseases(haemoglobinopathies) were found in tropical(very hot and humid; among those is Mediterranean, North African, West Asian) populations. And mosquitoes thrive in tropical regions. So these traits protected tropical populations from malaria.

The way we discuss the culture is very general and we seem to forget what's the reality. For example, I am aware when we don't allow the girl and boy meet and talk before wedding. Now it has changed totally. Badaga people who marry outside the community were almost excomminicated form the village. Now, it's no more relevant. Commnities all over the world have changed and are continously changing. Education was confined to male sex predominantly, but it has almost changed to equal opportunity. Nowadays we don't even get to know who is who in our fast becoming urbanized community (with due respect to our community which I am proud to be a member). I feel it's better to leave it to the individual.

If someone is really concerned that she can be married off to a badaga groom, better to directly help thru known contacts instead of discussing in a forum like this which may hurt the individual.

I am just voicing my opinion. No intention to hurt anyone. If there are words which are hurting, please forgive me.

Radhakrishnan
Kil - kundah

radhakrishnanStarter

Joined: 11 Aug 2004
Posts: 7

Posted:
Fri Jul 17, 2009 3:48 am

The way we discuss the culture is very general and we seem to forget what's the reality. For example, I am aware when we don't allow the girl and boy meet and talk before wedding. Now it has changed totally. Badaga people who marry outside the community were almost excomminicated form the village. Now, it's no more relevant. Commnities all over the world have changed and are continously changing. Education was confined to male sex predominantly, but it has almost changed to equal opportunity. Nowadays we don't even get to know who is who in our fast becoming urbanized community (with due respect to our community which I am proud to be a member). I feel it's better to leave it to the individual.

If someone is really concerned that she can be married off to a badaga groom, better to directly help thru known contacts instead of discussing in a forum like this which may hurt the individual.

I am just voicing my opinion. No intention to hurt anyone. If there are words which are hurting, please forgive me.

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